HanziGuru.猴 · hóu
猴
hóu[hou2]Tone 2

monkey

HSK 5
Guru Deep Dive

English · monkey

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (animal classifier) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (hou) to occupy the remaining two-thirds with a balanced vertical posture.
1. Meaning

monkey

clever personthe ninth animal of the Chinese zodiac (Year of the Monkey)
NounNeutral#animals#nature#zodiac
Sample Usage
  • 动物园里有许多猴子。
    dòngwùyuán lǐ yǒu xǔduō hóuzi.
    There are many monkeys in the zoo.
  • 孙悟空是一只神话里的猴子。
    sūn wùkōng shì yī zhī shénhuà lǐ de hóuzi.
    Sun Wukong is a monkey from mythology.
2. Sound
/[xoʊ̯³⁵]/Tone: 35
猴
hóuhou2
++
´(35)
=hóu
Initial Consonant
h
Type: Velar Fricative
Sounds like: h sound like in 'hat'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Gentle throat friction (like fogging glasses on a cold day).
Tongue & Mouth Position: Tongue is relaxed at the bottom of the mouth while air is pushed out from the glottis.
Final Rhyme
ou
Vowel Group: -o vowel group
Sounds like: -ou rhymes with oh/ow sound
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'oh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts mid and rises sharply to high, identical to a questioning 'Huh?' in English.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone, it changes to a 2nd tone.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse it with 4th tone hòu (wait/thick) or 1st tone hōu (roar).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Lift your hand upward and to the right, mimicking a question mark or an elevator rising.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (animal classifier) takes up about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (hou) to occupy the remaining two-thirds with a balanced vertical posture.

4. Components

Radical 犭 · Dog/Animal Radical (Animals)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 犭 (Indicates that the character belongs to the category of animals.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 侯 (original sound: hóu)

An animal (犭) that acts like a marquess/lord (侯) in the jungle canopy—the smart and clever monkey.

  • 犭 animal classifier radical
  • 侯 phonetic clue providing the sound hóu
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally written with phonetic component 侯 combined with the animal classifier 犭 to represent the primate.

Semantic Evolution: Has consistently referred to monkeys and apes since ancient times, later extending to describe mischievous people.

  • The monkey is the ninth sign in the Chinese zodiac cycle.
  • The Monkey King, Sun Wukong, is one of the most famous literary characters in Chinese history.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: コウ / Kun: さる
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
후
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A furry animal (犭) wearing a royal crown (侯) swings through the trees, acting like the king of the jungle—it's a clever monkey (hóu).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
候
hòuwait, timeReplaces the animal radical with the person/action context.
猴
hóumonkeyUses the animal radical 犭 for living beasts.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
候(hòu)
候 uses the upright line radical (亻) representing people waiting; 猴 uses the animal radical (犭) for monkeys.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
孙悟空是一只聪明的[___]。
Clue: hóu zi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the animal radical (犭) with the person radical (亻) found in 候 (hòu, to wait).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see 猴, what animal does it represent and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for 'monkey' using the animal radical and phonetic part?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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